


Remembrance

by ManyWords



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: AKA the one au that no one asked for, Angst, Character Death, Everyone except Wild is only mentioned, Have fun yall, Lots of Angst, Poor Wild, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, V. Old and bad, Wild-Centric, aka the shrine of resurrection did some things, beware: unedited, but still, idk even know what to tag this, its been in google docs for a long time so, its just mentioned, poor Link, purah i love you, snap snap, why did I write this, why? because i said so, wild remembers all the reincarnations, yeet, yes i need both those tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21622873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManyWords/pseuds/ManyWords
Summary: The shrine made him forget.Still, there are things he shouldn't know, things he definitely shouldn't remember, and he can't help but focus on them.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 277





	Remembrance

**Author's Note:**

> Old  
> Might get rewritten

They said he was supposed to forget.  
Somehow, he can’t believe this is true, because he remembers everything.  
He remembers the girl who was a Goddess, and he remembers flying through the skys. He remembers being torn apart, and he remembers argueing with himself. He remembers a fairy, and he remembers a mask.

“So you really don’t remember anything?”  
The question is asked with such innocence. There’s no ill intent in it. It’s simply a question- six simple words.  
He should be able to answer such a simple question honestly.  
Of course he didn’t remember. That’s what the Shrine of Resurrection was supposed to do, right? Heal the body, not the mind. Why should he need a dead boy’s memories?

“So you really don’t remember anything?”

The question is asked with such innocence. There’s no ill intent in it. It’s simply a question- six simple words. 

He should be able to answer such a simple question honestly. 

Of course he didn’t remember. That’s what the Shrine of Resurrection was supposed to do, right? Heal the body, not the mind. Why should he need a dead boy's memories?  
So he smiles and nods and Purah insists that he unlock the dead boy's memories, and he wants to scream at her that he doesn't need more memories of tragedy and destruction and death and lost choices-  
But she will not know that. She will continue to take notes on what a marvel the Shrine is, how it's fixed him.  
(He wants to say it's broken him more but he cannot speak.)  
And so everyone believes him.  
"Poor boy." They say, in the awkward way you do when you don't know how to help.  
"You'll get them back soon, I'm sure of it! You'll save us all!"  
Again.  
He continues and let people say what they will.  
Because he remembers. He doesn't need their pity. He doesn't want it.  
He's trying so hard to forget, but-  
He can't. He remembers everything.  
He remembers the girl who was a Goddess, and he remembers a sacred blade with the spirit that once guided him.  
He remembers being split, and he remembers the time when he went by five different names.  
He remembers a blue fairy, and he remembers a mask. (He still remembers those three days, second by second, and Link remembers that he's tried to forget before.)  
It didn't work then, why would it work now?  
Because he still. Fucking. Remembers!  
He remembers all the times he went on another quest, and he remembers the lightning that struck him before he reached the island.  
And he remembers running, and the inescapable feeling of being lost and hunted, and he remembers the fear.  
And he remembers the Boat that Talked, remembers when he sailed the sea and remembers the pirate girl he once had a crush on.  
The battlefield. The soldiers, and the betrayal.  
An imp, always playing tricks on him, and the sunset.  
He remembers the dead boy, and the little girl he used to carry on his shoulders, and his parents who had to say goodbye to him, and he remembers the Princess, and he remembers the Goddess, and he remembers the Sword, but he doesn't want to be just wants to forget!  
Why can't he just forget?  
He doesn't want to remember anything, anymore.  
And he screams, the first time he accidently does what Impa had asked him to, the first time he 'recovers' a memory. Because all the walls he's built are torn down like paper, and he had to remember, and he doesn't have a choice, and everything comes crashing down on him in a wave of horrid, terrible destruction-  
Is he real? Is this real?  
It can't be.  
He's insane, he's sure of it, because no sane person remembers their own reincarnations, and no sane person remembers how they've died, before.  
That's it, then. Hyrule had a broken hero, with a broken mind, because he can't just accept that those lives really happened. A broken mind, a broken soul, a broken cycle.  
But he's the only hero they have, isn't he?  
So he. Keeps. Going.  
He keeps going, as a collection of shattered pieces and as a boy who knows too much. He keeps going as Link, because it doesn't matter if he wants to forget.  
He's never had a choice in this, not really.  
"Do you really remember me?"  
What kind of hero would he be if he lied?  
A bad one, since he pastes on a smile and lies through his teeth.  
He's not needed, anymore. Maybe next time (because there was always a next time, always, if was inescapable-) he'll forget.  
He likes the idea of forgetting.  
He's not needed, anymore. He can disappear into a forest, or on a raft, and no one will miss him, since his job is done. Maybe he can disappear and finally forget all of the dead boy's (all of his) lives.  
That doesn't happen.  
They're all named Link, and he remembers all of their faces.  
Sky. Four. Time. Legend. Hyrule. Wind. Twilight. Warriors.  
And now Wild.  
He's actually insane.  
Is he even a separate person, at this point? Can he call himself real? He's just a botched collection of their memories at this point, so he must not be real.  
That's it. He's still dreaming, isn't he? He's still trapped in some fancy coffin, healing, and this is a bizarre dream that's not real.  
He would believe it, except the pain he feels from glancing blows and unexpected attacks are very real.  
Maybe he's not meant to forget. Maybe this is his curse.  
What did he do to deserve this, again?  
It didn't matter.  
He would have said that his hopes all gone, but that would be a lie, and he's done too much lying.  
Because when he takes one to many hits, and just before Mipha's able to reach him, he forgets, for just a second, and so he had hope.  
Maybe one day he'll forget.  
He's counting on it, right now, because it's hard being around people when you've lived through their lives.  
(When you know how they die.)


End file.
